Introduction to Makin' Babies

Ah, the mystery of life. Whether you're trying to explain the "birds and the bees" to your five-year-old, or you and your spouse are wondering how to decipher that ultrasound image of your soon-to-be child -- this is the page for you. We've gathered some of the coolest animation around about everything from egg production to C-sections. Keep checking back -- we'll add more animations as we get them!

Egg Production
Egg production is an essential part of the female reproductive system. This animation illustrates how hormones, the uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes and vagina work together during egg production to ready an egg for possible fertilization.
Sperm Production
Sperm are produced, stored, and delivered, by the male reproductive system.
Conception
During sexual intercourse (sex), sperm is released into the cervix. They swim up the fallopian tubes. The egg cell moves down through the fallopian tube. The sperm meet the egg. One penetrates the egg, and the outer membrane of the egg locks out the other sperm cells. The sperm cell releases its nucleus, which combines with the egg's DNA to create a zygote.
Fertilization
This animation explains the process of human egg cell fertilization, and the formation of identical twins.
Understanding Ultrasound Fetus Images
To the untrained eye, it can be difficult to make any sense of an ultrasound image. This interactive animation demonstrates how a fetus would appear at different stages of pregnancy.
Embryonic and Fetal Development
Watch the development of the embryo from weeks 3 to 8 and the development of the fetus from weeks 8 to 40.
The Role of Amniotic Fluid
The amniotic sac contains the amniotic fluid, which help keep the baby warm and keeps the baby's growing body parts from fusing together.
Formation of Twins
Twins are rare and special, and they happen in about 1% of all pregnancies. Thirty percent are identical and 70% are fraternal twins. The egg is fertilized by a single sperm cell and forms a blastocyst after a week. Identical twins start from a single fertilized cell. But the egg splits into two separate embryos sometime in the fist week after conception. Identical twins have identical DNA. In fraternal twins, there are two eggs released and fertilized by two sperm cells. They develop separately and have different DNA.
Vaginal delivery
When the cervix dilates to 10 cm, the pushing and delivery phase of child birth begins. During this phase, the baby moves down the birth canal. The head comes out first, and the doctor supports it as the rest of the body comes through the birth canal fairly quickly.
Cesarean Section
The common medical reasons for having a Cesarean section (C-section) are a baby in a breech position, a baby in a shoulder-first psotion, loo large a head, prolonged labor, placenta blocking the birth canal and fetal distress. Cesarean sections require anesthesia. A cut is made in the lower abdomen and the uterus. The baby is delivered through the incision, and takes about 10 minutes.

And, for our youngest audience:
 Where do babies come from?
To make a baby you need a sperm cell and an egg cell. The sperm cell comes from the daddy and the egg cell comes from the mommy. When the sperm and egg meet, they make a tiny baby that is smaller than a grain of salt. The baby grows in the mommy's tummy for nine months. Then the baby is ready to come out.
Will the baby be a girl or a boy?
The sperm and egg meet in the fallopian tube. The sperm cell contains instructions that decide whether it will be a girl or a boy. If the letter is an X it will be a girl. If the letter is a Y it will be a boy.
How does the baby eat and breathe in the uterus?
The baby can't eat and breathe on its own while inside the mommy. So the baby has an umbilical cord that goes to the placenta, which connects to the uterus. Food and air from the bloodstream move through the placenta and into the umbilical cord. After the baby is born, the umbilical cord goes away and what is left is the belly button.
How does the baby come out?
When a baby is ready to be born, the mommy starts to feel labor contractions. The uterus squeezes and pushes the baby out of the uterus and into the world.